Three years ago it looked like BAE Systems’ Brough plant was a lost cause. But with an influx of fresh apprentices, Dan Clark finds things are picking up.

It is hard to forget the images of workers leaving BAE Systems’ site in Brough for the last time. The news that 899 apprentices and master tradespeople had taken voluntary redundancy, leaving almost 1,000 families struggling to pay the bills, sent shock waves across the region.

But like a phoenix from the ashes, the site is rising again. It might only be providing places for 17 new starters but the green shoots are there.

Andrew Woodward, BAE Systems’ head of engineering management and governance, said: “We have had an apprentice scheme here since the 1930s and it is an important part of our business model.

“Apprentices are key to retaining the capability we have here at Brough and to continue our growth.”

More than 300 people applied for the jobs at the defence firm’s Military Air and Information arm in Brough – showing it is still seen as an employer that gives staff a future.

There were roles available in engineering, software engineering and business.

BAE Systems has taken on 933 Brough apprentices in the past decade.

Mr Woodward said the local background of many of its employees in the company has given the site a good sense of community.

He said: “We are proud of our place in the community. Everybody knows somebody who works at BAE Systems and that sense of family and community is very strong here on site.

“There is a proud heritage at Brough, dating back to the days when Blackburn Aircraft and Hawker Siddeley operated here, and then when they became part of the BAE Systems family in the 1970s.”

That sense of community has remained at the site despite the job cuts three years ago.

Since then BAE has taken on new contracts, including the construction of Hawk aircraft for Saudi Arabia and Oman.

Mr Woodward said: “When we announced a number of redundancies in 2011, it was a shock to everyone.

“From our perspective, the company, working alongside the trade unions, was able to mitigate a large number of the proposed redundancies and put the company in a position to build for the future.

“Over the past two years, we have consolidated our operations at Brough and invested to ensure we retain the capabilities we have here.

“We have also seen something of a renaissance for our Hawk trainer aircraft, which has long been acknowledged as the leading advanced jet trainer on the market, which begins life at Brough.

“All these things have enabled us to start building for a brighter future.”

The Middle East contracts have seen the company’s order backlog increase to give it work until 2016.

Mr Woodward believes it will allow the company’s presence at Brough to grow further.

“At the moment, we are lucky to be involved in a number of projects producing Hawks for Saudi Arabia and Oman, which means we can take on more apprentices at the moment,” he said.

“Our business means we can be dependent on the contracts we have, but we also take on a number of contracts that vary from our normal line of production.

“As a consequence, our apprentices are versatile and confident enough to take on any project.”

Mr Woodward believes this versatility will stand the company’s apprentices in good stead.

“Throughout their training, we ensure all apprentices have hands-on experience with everything we do,” he said.

“This is vital because of the nature of our work.

“We have to make sure everything is right to keep the plane in the air, so our apprentices have to be hands-on in order to be able to work to a high standard.”

Those skills are highly marketable in an industry where training is at a premium.

BAE Systems is a trusted name and its former staff can find it easy to get work elsewhere.

Mr Woodward said: “The apprentices are ready to take on any job we can give them after their apprenticeship.

“We make sure the apprentices look at all aspects of each structure so they can understand every component of the plane and how their work is being implemented into the construction of an aircraft or system.”

Apprentices at BAE Systems believe this hands-on involvement has benefited their work and made them more confident.

Rebecca Brown, a fourth-year technical apprentice, said: “It has been brilliant for me because I have been involved in a number of jobs within my placement, all of which have involved something different.

“I have had the opportunity to work in a variety of different parts of the business through the placements I have done.

“Currently, I am working in the structural testing team at Brough, which tests aircraft such as the Typhoon and the F-35, some of the most advance fighter jets in the world.”

Miss Brown came to BAE Systems because it offered a chance to learn without the burden of a student loan.

“I did want to go to university, but I didn’t want the debt, and the opportunity to learn while I got paid for it was something I could not pass on,” said Miss Brown, of Cherry Burton.

“By doing it this way, I have got the best of both worlds because I am now in the second year of a foundation degree in mechanical engineering at the School of Engineering at the University of Hull.

“I don’t regret my decision at all. It has been brilliant and now I have the opportunity to have a full-time job doing something I enjoy and it is also close to where I live.”

The apprentice enjoys how hands-on her job is.

Although still learning, she feels in control of her own destiny.

“I get to play a full role in the projects I am working on and that is one of the main things I like about my apprenticeship,” she said.

“I know if I work hard and keep on learning, I have the possibility of a full- time job here when my apprenticeship is complete and that gives me a sense of security and a drive to work harder.”

He also found the opportunity to earn while he learned too hard to pass up.

“I heard about the opportunity of an apprenticeship from my college tutor at East Riding College,” he said.

“I was at university at the time, studying computer science, and my tutor rang me up and told me of the opportunity at BAE Systems, so I decided to come here so I wouldn’t have the debt and I could get paid while I learn.

“I haven’t regretted my decision.”

Demand for what BAE is offering is higher than ever.

Another apprentice, Emma Redhead, also highlighted the importance of apprenticeships for gaining experience and skills.

She said: “With BAE Systems, I had the opportunity to be part of work that was relevant and supporting to my academic studies and vice versa.

“It has given me the opportunity to carry out work on live BAE Systems projects, gaining experience of the work and working environment.

“I believe it is an extremely beneficial method of being introduced to working life.”

Mr Woodward said the high number of applicants has allowed the company to pick the very best to help it grow.

“We have to employ the right people here to be successful,” he said.

“People come here for a career, so the young people we take on as apprentices are people we can see having a future with us at our site in Brough.

“It has been a feature of our business model for a number of years and it will not change.”

The Brough site is still a shadow of what it once was. But in the new faces of its trainees, there is a glimmer of hope the plant could rise again.

• This feature is published in the Mail's 32-page Business magazine, free inside today's paper (Wednesday).